Phoenix: Ashes
by Nicky2
Summary: Anakin has fled, and Obi-Wan is determined to find him before he can do any more harm. A one-on-one showdown ensues...


Title: Ashes  
Author: Tyger  
Author E-mail: amidalakenobi@hotmail.com  
Rating: PG-13 for violence and mild swearing  
  
Disclaimer: This is just for kicks, I'm not making any money. I didn't make up any characters, I only use and abuse them at will, all right? Please don't sue me...I can't do much in court, but I *can* kick your ass in Laser Tag duel. (Just ask Anthony.)  
  
***~~~~***  
  
Ashes  
Tyger  
  
Obi-Wan's tears dried with the brief rain shower; tears not only for Amidala, but for others: Qui-Gon and Cerasi, whose deaths he could not have prevented, and for whom he daily felt the weight of guilt.  
  
But he could not dwell on the past. Anakin could be halfway across the planet by now, and Obi-Wan had to find him...quickly, before he wreaked any more havoc. Amidala had entrusted the care of her children to him; it was a confidence he was not about to take lightly, but more pressing matters were at hand. He hesitated over what to do with her body, but only for a moment. If he gave himself time to think about it, it would only be more difficult. He covered her gently with his cloak and pulled out his comlink.  
  
Putting in the call to Sabè was quite possibly the most difficult thing he'd ever had to do, short of actually holding Amidala as she died. But it was done now; his one mission was to find Anakin, and he had a pretty good idea of where he might be hiding.  
  
***~~~~***  
  
The melting pits at Mos Turina were infamous not for their mediocre products, but for the squalid treacherousness of the plant itself. Run by Dembera the Hutt, its workers often lasted mere weeks in this caldera of liquid metal and rusty catwalks. Deserted once night fell, its dim, fiery depths were perfect for a creature of evil.  
  
Perfect for the lair of a Dark Lord.  
  
He knew Anakin would want to draw him in, force him to fight in Ani's own territory. He would not make the same mistake twice; this time, he would wait for the boy to come to him.  
  
He didn't have to wait long. A form appeared in the shadowed doorway, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding blackness. The red blade ignited, and Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to launch himself furiously at Anakin. His former student would be weak now, coming to terms with the tragedy he had caused, and perhaps Obi-Wan could sway him to come back. But to save him, he had to keep his cool.  
  
"You killed her," he accused softly. "Why, Anakin?"  
  
"I- I didn't mean to!" he protested. "If she hadn't gotten in the way, it never would have happened..."  
  
"Don't give me that. It never would have happened if you hadn't been trying to kill me in the first place," Obi-Wan shot back, trembling with fury. Calm, he had to stay calm...  
  
"If you had taught me better when I was your student, I would never have accepted Palpatine's offer!"  
  
Ani's answer caught him entirely off guard. "Palpatine?" he breathed. "Palpatine is behind all this? I should have known. When I get back, I swear by the gods I'll-"  
  
Anakin laughed, the cruel, savage laugh heard only from the mad and very evil. "You'll do nothing. By now, he's already seized control of the Republic's Council Chamber and forced every member to sign a treaty naming him Emperor." He broke off. "And the Jedi? You think your old friends can help? They're already dead, Obi-Wan. He bombed the Temple this morning."  
  
The chill that had seized Obi-Wan faded away quickly: he had talked to Mace Windu only hours ago, but he had heard of a takeover in the Senate. Anakin was bluffing; and he knew that Obi-Wan knew. Obi-Wan drew his saber warily, unsure of what Anakin's next move would be.  
  
A flicker of surprise changed Anakin's face as he saw Qui-Gon's old saber, but only for an instant. "Well, Master. Ready to try again? I hope you're prepared to die."  
  
"Amidala wasn't," he retorted. "Anakin, this isn't the way you want to live. I can feel it. They'll forgive you if you change your mind; they forgave me."  
  
"But you didn't kill anyone," he replied mournfully. "I can't change what I've become! This is my fate, and I'm resigned to it."  
  
"Forgiveness is not unattainable, Anakin. I understand if you don't want to come back yet, just give me your lightsaber until you think you're ready."  
  
"Stars damn it, I don't *want* your pity!" He feinted to the right and cut left. Obi-Wan brought his saber up, deflecting the blow and knocking Anakin back a few steps.  
  
"I'm willing to forgive you, but if you insist on doing this, I have no qualms about fighting you. If you strike again, I'll know you don't want to come back. Think about it; I want you to know what you're really doing. I refuse to make this betrayal easy for you, understand?"  
  
Anakin's only response was to aim another blow at Obi-Wan, who flinched inwardly as he parried it. That was it: the young man who had once been his best friend was now a mortal enemy. He gave himself to the battle, allowed the Force to flow through him, controlling him and guiding him.  
  
Surprised by this sudden attack, Anakin stepped back, gauging. He decided that Obi-Wan was very dangerous indeed -- so he ran. He retreated into his cavern, his den of rusted machinery and perilous structure, where only he could be sure of his footing. Obi-Wan would be on his guard, more careful, and it would slow him down somewhat; thus, Anakin would have time to plot his next offensive.  
  
This time Obi-Wan had no choice but to follow him. If he didn't take care of Anakin here and now, the kid would get off this rock. The disease with which Palpatine had infected him would grow and infect more and more people across the galaxy. He gripped his lightsaber firmly with a new resolve. It had to be done, and it had to be done now.  
  
The interior of the plant was unbearably hot; the melting pits were stoked all night by machines. Shimmers rose off of every surface, and steam clouded his vision.  
  
Anakin stood on a catwalk some meters above him -- an easy jump for a Jedi Master; Obi-Wan could have been on a level with him in an instant. But he only stood there, contemplating, waiting for Anakin to make the first move.  
  
"What are you waiting for, Master?" he said sarcastically. "Next season? Or perhaps you're waiting for that whore to come back to life?"  
  
A muscle twitched in his jaw and he wanted to know what had gotten into Anakin, to make him say such a thing about his own dead wife, but he held his ground, lightsaber low. His passiveness infuriated Anakin, who leaped off the catwalk, somersaulted over Obi-Wan's head and landed behind him, slashing viciously at his unguarded back. Obi-Wan spun, parried, and hung back. Anakin would tire himself out soon enough; it was only a matter of waiting for the right time.  
  
"Are you that old? You look it, Obi-Wan. You must have aged ten years since this morning. Yesterday, you would have been a worthy opponent."  
  
--But yesterday, Amidala had been alive...and yesterday he had not known that Anakin was his enemy. He knew now, and he understood what he had to do. If Anakin would not turn back, he would have to make sure Anakin could not escape. There was no path around it. And in a battle such as this, there was but a single way to make sure that your opponent never rose again.  
  
Obi-Wan didn't want to kill Anakin; he hated the thought of it, but if he had to decide between Anakin's death and the deaths of a billion others, it was no contest. He would hold nothing back.  
  
Anakin noticed the change in his master's fighting stance. He was surer, stronger, quicker; there was no way he could beat Obi-Wan like this. Hide and seek wasn't working. Anakin had rarely beaten Obi-Wan in practices, but it had been a long time since he'd last met up with the Master. He was losing now; however, fighting him in the open would even up the match.  
  
He looked down briefly, seeing a wide platform that ran around the edge of the gaping maw below. It had no guardrail, no tractor beams, not even a net to catch a careless worker. It was risky, but open. Here, they could fight equally. He parried Obi-Wan's next blow and glanced down again: the platform was situated directly over a huge vat of molten metal. If he landed off-balance, or slipped, or misjudged the distance, he'd surely be dead in an instant.  
  
Obi-Wan had seen Anakin look down, and knew where he was planning to jump. As soon as the younger man leapt from the catwalk, he jumped after him.  
  
He always figured Anakin had something to do with what happened next. He had judged the span perfectly, but he hit the ledge at an angle, stumbling and ending up sprawled on his back.  
  
Anakin's eyes glowed as brightly as his lightsaber, now poised at Obi-Wan's throat. His own weapon was but a little out of reach, within easy grip of the Force. *Deja-vu,* he thought again. Anakin leered at his one-time mentor.  
  
"Good-bye, Obi-Wan." He stabbed the blade downwards, but Obi-Wan rolled out of the way, snatched up his saber, and was back on his feet in an instant. Anakin's saber pierced metal, not flesh. As he swung the blade back up, he hit a panel of controls, which instantly melted to slag and began to smoke. The automatic sprinklers surged on; neither even noticed.  
  
Block, thrust, parry; to Obi-Wan it became instinct, reflex. Anakin was not going to beat him because he simply wouldn't allow him to do so. For the sake of Amidala's children, he could not let himself fail again. *He had to take care of them.*  
  
It was this train of thoughts that Anakin found. "Liar!" he shouted. "Amidala never had a child! I would know if she did!"  
  
Obi-Wan cursed himself and tried to bury the idea. Let Ani think he was lying -- he couldn't afford to get the kid angrier than he already was. He twisted to the left and cut in, driving Anakin to one knee. Obi-Wan forced his weapon viciously down, pinning the boy to the floor.  
  
So this was what it had come to. This was the choice he would have to make, if something didn't happen soon.  
  
Fate made the decision for him. Anakin dropped back and attempted to roll to his feet, but the floor was slick from the sprinklers. He went down again...and tumbled over the side.  
  
"Anakin!"  
  
He was hanging from the ledge with one hand, dangling helplessly above the pit. Obi-Wan dropped to the floor and held out his hand. "Drop your lightsaber!" he shouted. "Give me your other hand; I'll pull you up!"  
  
Anakin refused to relinquish his hold on the saber; the hand he had on the ledge was scrabbling in vain for some kind of grip. He tried to heave himself back up, but found he didn't have the strength. He felt panic begin to rise within him: the Force seemed to have deserted him -- *now,* when he needed it the most.  
  
His hand slipped, and he fell.  
  
Obi-Wan caught his wrist quickly, but Anakin's fingers would not grip his. He couldn't pull him up unless Anakin helped him. "Hold on! Help me out, here; I'll pull you back up!"  
  
The boy looked up at him with a mixed expression of equal parts fury and betrayal. With a wordless cry of rage, he hurled the lightsaber upward at Obi-Wan's face.  
  
The hilt clipped his head as he ducked the spinning blade, but it cost him his hold on Anakin's hand. "No!" he cried out, reaching helplessly for his apprentice with the Force. Anakin dropped into the vat and sank quickly beneath the incandescent liquid. He didn't even have the chance to cry out.  
  
Obi-Wan stared at the place where his only student had vanished until the brightness forced him to turn aside. He saw Ani's lightsaber on the floor, still locked on. How long had it been red? The Anakin he knew had a blue saber...but the Anakin he had just killed was not the Anakin he knew. He scooped it up grimly, extinguishing the blade and clipping it to his belt. Without pausing or even thinking, he turned and headed for the speeder. His job wasn't finished yet.  
  
***~~~~***  
  
Anakin surfaced from the pit burned beyond recognition, but still clinging to life. The Force had protected him from death, but he hadn't been able to avoid the fire of the melting pit.   
  
"Damn you, Kenobi," he rasped. "You did this to me; this is *your fault,* you bastard!" He coughed weakly; his vision was starting to fade. He reached for his comlink, but like his body it had been fried by the lava. With all the strength he had left, he sent out a mental call to Palpatine, his *true* master. "Help me...please!" He succumbed to the darkness.  
  
  
  
  
You want more, you know you do! Let me know what you think. Praise, tickets to the Episode 2 Hollywood premiere, and chocolate can be sent to me (Sarah) at amidalakenobi@hotmail.com, or you could just put on the review page.  



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